Eastern paper

Ingredients

linen, hemp, linen rags, hemp rags, old hemp ropes, lime, starch, alum

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The process of seasoning paper (kâğıdın terbiye edilmesi) involves coloring, sizing, and burnishing. Coloring solutions are prepared by boiling plants (tea, green walnut shell, pomegranate peel, onionskin) until color is released, then adding alum and further boiling (p. 245). Sizing (aharlama) uses 'ahar', specifically starch size made by mixing starch with cold water to form a paste, adding it to boiling water, cooking under low heat with continuous stirring, and filtering (p. 246). Burnishing (mühreleme) involves laying the paper on a lime tree plank (pesterk), rubbing dry soap onto the paper via broadcloth, and polishing with a 'mühre' (stone, glass, or limpet shell) in all directions (p. 246-247). For cardboards used in covers (murakka mukavva), paper sheets were glued with the laid lines perpendicular to each other; substances like alum, borax (tenekâr), and tobacco sap were added to the glue to prevent bookworms (p. 249).

Evidence

"One of them, MAD. 231 dated H.837-859 (1433-1455) was written on watermarked Western paper... the other one, MAD. 525 dated H.847-858 (1443-1454) was written on Eastern paper and had no watermarks."

Remarks

Eastern papers were made from long-fibered plants (linen and hemp) and subjected to light beating, which preserved fiber length and increased tensile strength (p. 250-251). They lacked lignin, making them naturally resistant to acidic deterioration (p. 251). Sizing created a protective barrier that allowed for erasing and rewriting mistakes through scraping or wiping (p. 245, 247). Local paper production in Turkey included factories at Yalova (1744), Beykoz (1804), and Izmir (1846), though they struggled to compete with European imports (p. 242-243).